Holidays, Vacations, and Breaks

by: Maria Corse

Have you ever noticed that complete and utter exhaustion strikes just before a planned vacation? No matter how much you love your job, that last week before a break is always mentally, physically, and emotionally draining.


Although my life's work is joyfully and completely wrapped up with the amazing and never ending logistics of working with and supporting our awesome student members to be independent, self-directed learners, as well as all the administrative duties that are vital to being an integral part of the community who works for and with kids, I have discovered these last few weeks that personal downtime is absolutely essential for mental health, no matter how dedicated you are, how important the work is, or how fundamental you think your contribution is to the organization.


The habit of writing the blog every Sunday morning, with a few concessions (sitting with the MacBook on my lap instead of standing at my desk and making it brief), however, as you can see, has not disappeared despite my self declared holiday from all things DRC, because creating word paintings is as natural as breathing; it is simply what I do. I have learned that the only way to shut the flow of thoughts off is to allow them to dribble through my fingers to the keys.


May your vacations be as revitalizing and self-indulgent as my headfirst dive into my newly replenished stack of library books ....

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